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Home > Travel Texas > Texas Cities > Houston
Houston
Texas is a state located in the Southern and Western regions of the United States of America. The state is second-largest in both area and population behind Alaska and California, respectively. The state's name derives from a word in the Caddoan language of the Hasinai. Texas declared its independence from Mexico in 1836 and existed as the independent Republic of Texas for nearly a decade. Texas is internationally known for its energy and aeronautics industries, and for its ship channel at the Port of Houston, the largest in the U.S. in international commerce and the sixth-largest port in the world.
Houston is the largest city in the state of Texas and the fourth-largest in the United States. The city covers more than 600 1,600 square kilometers and is the county seat of Harris County. As of the 2005 U.S. Census estimate, Houston had a population of more than 2 million. The city is at the heart of the Houston Sugar Land Baytown metropolitan area, the largest cultural and economic center of the Gulf Coast region and the seventh-largest metropolitan area in the U.S. with a population of 5.3 million in 10 counties.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 1,558.4 square kilometers out of it 1,500.7 square kilometers of the area is covered by land and 57.7 square kilometers by water. In August 1836, two brothers John Kirby Allen and Augustus Chapman Allen who were New York real estate promoters, purchased 6,642 acres of land The Allen brothers named their town after Sam Houston. Houston was granted incorporation on June 5, 1837 and James S. Holman became the first mayor.
Houston ranks second in employment growth rate and fourth in nominal employment growth among the 10 most populous metro areas. In 2006, the Houston metropolitan area ranked first in Texas and third in the U.S. within the category of Best Places for Business and Careers by Forbes. Houston is designated as a world-class city by the globalization and world cities study group and network.
The space center Houston includes many interactive exhibits including moon rocks and a shuttle simulator in addition to special presentations that tell the story of NASA's manned space flight program. The center features Texas’s largest IMAX theater. One can also learn about its history, from its earliest times and pursue enthusiasm in its natural beauty and populace.
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